Producer Michael Bay reboots the franchise with Jonathan Liebesman on the helm. As far as gritty reboots go, this is actually far from dark. It has plenty of light moments although things are kept in a realistic fashion (such as the humanistic turtles' designs). It is a movie that all ages can enjoy; it does not have the sexual tone in a Michael Bay's movie. Jonathan, known for his Wrath of the Titans and Battle: Los Angeles, know his action beats well enough and keeps things fast paced.
The story: Megan Fox plays April O'Neil, a reporter, who stumbles upon an attempt robbery by mysterious Foot Clan. She becomes obsessed in finding the mysterious vigilantes who have stopped the robbery. The plot is straight forward but Jonathan keeps the pace fast enough to last through 1 hour and 41 minutes. Mind you, the turtles are not properly revealed until the 20 minutes mark into the movie. Once the turtles are revealed, the movie becomes a CGI fest. Each of the turtle has a distinctive look and characteristics that is easy to tell on screen. Fortunately, Jonathan knows how to direct action decently although at times, the CGI is a little overwhelming. The last 40 minutes is packed with action; a exciting raid in the underground lair, an exhilarating break-out escape and an explosive CGI-laden climax. The action seems to be influenced by Michael Bay; slo-mo and lens flare. The villain, Shredder, is a little bland and solely exists to show off his wide range of blades. His background story is not properly laid out but he does a decent job during the action scenes, showing his menace against the heroes. Acting wise is alright. Megan Fox plays her role better in this than in the Transformers movies. The rest are not memorable. CGI looks good, the CGI of the turtles and Shredder are decent. Music by Brian Tyler is decent but not very memorable.
Overall: It delivers what general audience wants; fast paced story with decent CGI action. Looking at the incredibly negative reviews by the critics, I have to admit that this is nothing more than a mindless action movie with little soul but it is far from the worst movie this year. As usual, the movie ends off by hinting that more things are on the way.
The story: Megan Fox plays April O'Neil, a reporter, who stumbles upon an attempt robbery by mysterious Foot Clan. She becomes obsessed in finding the mysterious vigilantes who have stopped the robbery. The plot is straight forward but Jonathan keeps the pace fast enough to last through 1 hour and 41 minutes. Mind you, the turtles are not properly revealed until the 20 minutes mark into the movie. Once the turtles are revealed, the movie becomes a CGI fest. Each of the turtle has a distinctive look and characteristics that is easy to tell on screen. Fortunately, Jonathan knows how to direct action decently although at times, the CGI is a little overwhelming. The last 40 minutes is packed with action; a exciting raid in the underground lair, an exhilarating break-out escape and an explosive CGI-laden climax. The action seems to be influenced by Michael Bay; slo-mo and lens flare. The villain, Shredder, is a little bland and solely exists to show off his wide range of blades. His background story is not properly laid out but he does a decent job during the action scenes, showing his menace against the heroes. Acting wise is alright. Megan Fox plays her role better in this than in the Transformers movies. The rest are not memorable. CGI looks good, the CGI of the turtles and Shredder are decent. Music by Brian Tyler is decent but not very memorable.
Overall: It delivers what general audience wants; fast paced story with decent CGI action. Looking at the incredibly negative reviews by the critics, I have to admit that this is nothing more than a mindless action movie with little soul but it is far from the worst movie this year. As usual, the movie ends off by hinting that more things are on the way.